Meet Vinny!

Vinny Vassallo joined our team in July as a Food Rescue Driver

How did you arrive at Lovin’ Spoonfuls?
I heard about Lovin’ Spoonfuls on the radio (when food is involved, everything has my extra attention). I was impressed by the work they do at the time, but hadn’t thought about them again until I saw they were hiring. I did more research into the company, and was not only impressed by all the good that is done here, but all the positive things I heard about the company and the people. I’m still amazed and happy that they hired me and am excited about all my days with Lovin’ Spoonfuls.

Describe a typical work day. How does your job differ from the average truck driver?
A typical day sees me picking up food with my co-workers from our generous vendors, and distributing it to our beneficiaries, which is the most rewarding part. Seeing and hearing how the food we are bringing is making a difference in the communities I grew up in and around is so great. While navigating the roads and streets of the Greater Boston Area is something that I share with a trucker, this job is so much more than picking up and dropping off.

What’s the strangest/most exotic food item you’ve picked up from a vendor?
We once picked up a box of horned melons, also known as the blowfish fruit. It looks exactly like you would imagine it.

What are some of your favorite tunes/radio stations that you listen to on the road?
When I’m in their signal area, I listen to 91.5 WMFO, Tufts radio, or my iPod.

Do your friends and family consider you a good cook? Any signature recipes?
Yeah, they do. I’ve been cooking for others since I was very young. Others tell me my signature recipes are my pasta e fagioli and my stuffed artichokes, but I feel like my rigatoni with broccoli rabe is my best dish.

What’s your favorite childhood food memory?
On Christmas Eve, our family would celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes. While my family was preparing dinner, my sister and I would go into my Grandparent’s basement and take out the live lobsters to play with them. We would pick our favorite one, name them, and write their names on their elastic bands, that way we could find them once they had been cooked. We would then eat our new pet lobsters. I don’t think we realized how bizarre it was until we were older.

Has this job made you more aware of your own consumption habits? Have you made any significant changes as a result?

Definitely. After this job, I took stock of every food item in my kitchen, and have really been attempting to monitor expiring food and use what I have before it goes to waste. Just seeing all the pounds of food that we save and the good it does makes me think before anything gets close to my own trash barrel.

What’s your favorite place/restaurant/neighborhood in Boston?
The North End in July and August. There are feasts almost every weekend during the summer, and the streets are full of locals eating oysters and fried food.